Using Community-Based Participatory Research and Mixed-Methods Design to Investigate Ecological Cultural Assets Among Pacific Islander Youth

• In Event: Educational Resilience, Agency, and Cultural Assets

Abstract

Purpose

In the 2010 U.S. Census, the number of Pacific Islanders (PI) in the United States (U.S.) increased to 1.2 million, yet the scant literature on this growing community continues to focus on their academic and social deficits (Vaught, 2012). For example, PI youth tend to reside in urban poverty and have the highest rate (50%) of recidivism to juvenile detention (UCLA Asian American Studies Center, 2006). Moreover, approximately 60% of PIs score below state proficiency levels on standardized tests, impacting their 10-15% college graduation rate (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Despite these negative statistics, PIs hold tremendous cultural strengths that are often silenced in educational and social settings. The current project uses Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and mixed methods design to investigate ecological cultural assets among PI youth.

Perspectives

Recent research with ethnic minority students has prioritized contextual and ecological understandings of educational resilience (Williams & Bryan, 2013), cultural assets (Borrero, 2006) and strengths among gifted students (Henfield, Owens, & Moore, 2008). Specifically, an ecological approach to cultural assets conceptualizes youth in reciprocal and dynamic interactions with peer, family, school, and community contexts and allows for alternative and contextually-driven interpretations for PI youths’ academic participation (Brofenbrenner, 1989; Weis & Centrie, 2002). A focus on ecological exchanges also contradicts pathological assumptions about PI youth and situates their educational experiences and cultural assets in a larger sociopolitical climate (Borrero, Yeh & Tito, 2009).

Methods

Advocacy-oriented mixed methods design (Hanson, Creswell, Clark, Petska, & Creswell, 2005) and CBPR (Israel et al. 2003) approaches were used to prioritize community interests (Israel et al. 2003). Both qualitative (interviews and observational data) and quantitative (survey) methods were used sequentially to highlight the different ecological factors contributing to PI challenges and strengths.

Data Sources

The presentation will include data from three studies as part of a larger mixed methods project. Participants included 10 PI community members and 10 PI high school students (interviews) and 128 middle/high school PI students (surveys). Survey data focuses on familial (parental values), cultural (cultural pride, ethnic identity), and educational factors (school engagement) contributing to cultural assets.

Results

Regression analyses reveal that for PI youth, cultural pride, ethnic identity, and parental values are important factors in fostering school connection. Interview data were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research (Hill, Thomson, & Williams, 1997) and add depth to the role of cultural pride, community engagement, and family relationships as critical cultural assets for PI students. Observational data triangulate the data an underscore how PI students negotiate conflicting norms across ecologies as a cultural strength.

Significance

This project highlights the importance of community collaboration in social justice research (Merzel & Afflitti, 2003), the immense cultural pride, respect, and family unity present in this resilient community (Yeh & Borrero, 2013), and the urgency for schools to incorporate PI cultural assets to foster school engagement.

Authors

• Christine Jean Yeh, University of San Francisco

• Noah Borrero, University of San Francisco

• Patsy Tito, Samoan Community Development Center